Chapter 142. 345th Battle Royale
[Welcome to the 345th Battle Royale—Participation Round 5!]
Participants: 100/100
Location: Collapsed
Start the MAYHEM!!
A translucent blue holographic screen materialized in front of me, buzzing with static and gleaming like it had a vendetta against subtlety.
"Collapsed," huh?
As if on cue, the world around us flickered to life—or rather, death. The environment looked like someone had dragged a modern metropolitan city through an apocalyptic paper shredder.
Skyscrapers were reduced to heaps of twisted steel and crumbling concrete. Flames danced lazily from half-buried homes, while broken glass glittered in every direction like angry stars. The air was thick with smoke and the lingering scent of ozone.
And we were dropped right into the middle of it.
It was immersive—disturbingly so. But then again, we weren’t here physically.
Our real bodies were safely strapped inside high-end VR pods, reclined in comfort while our minds were slingshotted into this virtual hellscape. At least, "comfort" was subjective.